The 3rd National Spelling Bee was held at the National Museum in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 1927. It was hosted by the Louisville Courier-Journal; Scripps-Howard would not sponsor the Bee until 1941.
There were 17 contestants, 13 girls and 4 boys, between the ages of 10 and 15. The event lasted three hours. The first-place prize was $1000, with $500 for second place, and $250 for third.
The winner was 13-year-old Dean Lucas of West Salem, Ohio (some sources say nearby Congress, Ohio, where he attended school), with the word abrogate.Dyer, Bob (27 May 2017). Spelling bee misspells its own history, Akron Beacon Journal It was his second appearance at the Bee.(19 July 1927). At Night He Studied Just Spelling(?), Emporia Gazette (subscription required) Ralph Keenan, 13, of Waukon, Iowa, placed second (misspelling "abrogate" as "abregate"); Minerva Ressler, 12, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania,was third.(24 June 1927). Ohio Boy Wins Spelling Bee At Washington, The Miami News(6 July 1927). Words, Miami News (noting that Lucas hailed from Wayne County, Ohio)(15 July 1927). "Abrogate", Milwaukee Sentinel
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